Philly-centric Fourth of July celebrations kick off at Independence Mall
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- What if you want to or have plans to stay close to home for the holiday? There's plenty to do in honor of our nation's birthday bash.
The U.S. Army Field Band and Soldiers' Chorus helped to kick off the city's Fourth of July celebrations at Independence Mall Friday night.
It's the first in a series of events that will culminate in grand fashion on Tuesday night.
"This is a really important concert in our lineup," Michael DelBene, President/CEO of Wawa Welcome America, said. "Tonight is the night that we pause and we thank and we reflect on the men and women who served our country in uniform."
The concert-goers we spoke to were all repeat attendees with different reasons for why they loved this event so much.
"It's just the whole atmosphere of the place," Bernadette Tanner said. "Everybody is coming together for a change. So, I like the way that feels."
"We live in the area and we enjoy good music," Chris Hanlon said. "Get our patriotic fervor going and we've been here before and enjoy the concert.
"I think my favorite part is really seeing them connect with the audience and with the American people," Katie Garner said. "It's an awesome service that they provide. It shows the really positive side of our military and I think it reminds us what it's all about, why we're are doing this as a country."
You should know that the weekend of events, starting with this one, are all very intentionally Philly-centric.
"We're here for Philadelphians," DelBene said. "People who are fortunate enough to find themselves in Philadelphia as a tourist, this is an added benefit for them. This is a celebration for Philadelphia for Philadelphians"
"Nobody celebrates like Philly," Hanlon said.
"It's a great city to be in for the fourth and all the activities here," Howard Cohen said. "Absolutely."
"Nobody, I don't care where you are, Philly does it best," Tanner said. "Always."
In addition to the entertainment and fun of it all, the Army Field Band and Soldiers' Chorus actually go on tour about 100 days a year serving as musical ambassadors of the Army.
